To Burn and To Break
by Njoldara
Summary: The second installment of the Azure Sky series : Thalarion and Sapphira, now united since the fall of Sjol'Vess, struggle to find their way through a rage torn world, beneath the looming threat of the old Black Dragon Aspect himself.
1. Burn

_The silvery worgen turned to look back at her fair city, shrouded in mist and the pestilent green of Forsaken Plague. Snorting and returning to her original path, she replaced her war axes on her back and dropped down on all fours. Long, obsidian claws gripped the mud and wet grass with ease. With a single leap, she flew forward into a quick gallop, throwing the condemned city behind her. Flattening her ears against her neck, she lifted her head and drew out a long, lamenting howl. Gilneas was lost, and she mourned for it, but she could only leave it behind._

Thalarion looked across the round, spiked table to the thin, white-haired partner. Sapphira looked back at him, finishing up writing something in a leather bound journal and putting away her quill and ink with a small flourish. "You take notes on everything, don't you?", the knight snickered, taking a drink of the Troll style beer he had ordered. "Laugh all you want,", Sapphira replied with a scowl,"one day we'll all need observations and notes on Orgimmar, and then who'll be the only one who was prepared?" Thalarion laughed a bit more, tightening his scarlet Kal'dorei tail. Saphhira glared harder, before tittering a bit herself.

"You're paranoid.", the holy knight sighed, taking another reluctant sip of his beer. "Why on Earth did I let that Shadowhunter talk me into buying this? It tastes like sweat and disappointment.", he groaned, scrunching up his face at the flavor. "Why would you know what either of those taste like?", the frost mage giggled, reaching over to grab the flagon. "Don't say I didn't warn you.", he said as he watched her raise the mug to her lips. She recoiled almost instantly, resisting the urge to spit out the disgusting liquid. Thalarion took one look at her face and began crowing, cheeks turning redder with each laugh.

The blood knight's laughs were cut short when a deafening explosion was heard, rattling the tables and startling everyone present in the small inn in the Valley of Strength. Grabbing Sapphira's hand and yanking her out of her chair, they joined a crowd of people racing out of various buildings to see what had happened. They were all looking around confusedly until they heard a large Tauren shout and point up to where the zeppelins typically docked. One of the towers was consumed in flames, with a zeppelin hanging off of it like a fish from a spear. Next to the destroyed airship was an enormous black dragon, seemingly having lava running through its veins, plated with charcoal metal and smelling of sulfur. A cruel laugh emitted from the dragon as he neared the wreckage, turning his head to look down at the crowd of stunned people.

"Open fire!", an Orc guard yelled, pointing at the dragon and taking off on an armored wyvern. Arrows began pouring from nearby Troll Shadowhunters and axes came flying from Orc Warriors. The crowd of citizens were too stupefied and frightened to do anything, even Thalarion and Sapphira were too in shock to move. The dragon only sneered, flapping his wings harder to throw back the guards mounted on war wyverns. " **The sun sets on your pitiful, mortal existence. Your days are numbered, this world will soon disappear beneath the shadow of my wings.** ", the drake taunted, and with a loud roar, barrel rolled and flew away.

Only now did the vast mob of people seem to react. "We're all gonna die!", a young goblin male shouted, and the frenzy began. Screaming, shoving past eachother, the mob dissolved into pure chaos. Thalarion and Sapphira were thrown to the ground, and Thalarion maneuvered himself overtop of Sapphira to defend her from stray hooves and feet. He received several kicks in the ribs, and had a goblin female topple over on him before she screamed and clamored over on to a Forsaken's shoulder.

" **SILENCE!** ", came the bellowing roar of Garrosh Hellscream, as he struck Gorehowl against the side of Grommash Hold. The commotion stopped as the citizens gaped at their Warlord's appearance. Garrosh turned and saw the tower of fire coming from the crashed zeppelin, eyes widening and face hardening in anger. He growled and pointed to the pyre, eyes alive with fury and hatred. He spit on the ground and returned to Grommash Hold, after muttering something to a Tauren Druid.

The druid quickly took the form of a bird and flew high above the crowd. "Return to your original places, now.", the horned hawk ordered, before flying off in the direction of the Valley of Spirits. Confused mutters broke out amongst the mob as it slowly dispersed, many people fearfully glancing over their shoulders at the orange glow above them. Thalarion picked himself up off Sapphira, before extending a hand and helping up the frail woman. She scowled, her one uncovered eye glimmering with irritation as she brushed the red Durotar dust off of her robes. "I'm sorry I had to do that, I didn't want you getting stomped on by some Tauren.", he apologized, pressing a swift kiss to the top of her head. "I'm more concerned about what the hell we just saw rather than the dirt on me.", she muttered, averting her gaze to the zeppelin crash above them.

"It's not our concern. Rhonin told us to avoid conflict, remember?", Thalarion argued, tugging Sapphira away in the opposite direction. "We're not even allied with the Horde, we're a neutral party. This isn't our problem."

Sapphira struggled against the taller elf's grip for a bit before finally accepting defeat, allowing herself to be dragged out of Orgrimmar.


	2. Extended Relations

Several weeks had passed since the incident in Orgrimmar, and the Blood Elf duo had ventured into the Western Plaguelands. "Hearthglen? Weren't you here when you were first initiated into the Argent Crusade?", Sapphira asked, turning to her counterpart. Her robe dragged lightly against the smooth cobblestone paths of Hearthglen, footsteps light and quiet. "Yes, momentarily, before I was shipped into Northrend to be partnered with you.", Thalarion replied, drinking in the nostalgia of his early military career. "Come on", he said, taking Sapphira's small gloved hand in his own, "I need a drink."

"You always need a drink.", she laughed, but willingly followed. The two traipsed into a warm, cozy inn, and were immediately bathed in a kind light from the nearby fireplace. Scattered amongst the tables were paladins and priests, the only empty seats were at a corner table with two Forsaken present.

"Come on, over here.", Thalarion coaxed, leading Sapphira to the empty, cedar chairs. Neither of the Forsaken paid attention to them, locked in a heated argument with eachother. "Wait here, I'll be back.", the Paladin reassured, giving Sapphira a quick peck to the cheek and heading for the bartender,

The frost mage quietly took her sight, staring across the wooden surface at the pair of Forsaken.

"I'm telling you, Lillian, it's the end times and nothing can be done about it!", the male one rasped, running his exposed bone fingers across his bald head. The other one, who was allegedly Lillian, had a Priestess' hood over her head, her eyes concealed by two black strips of leather and a few wisps of greenish hair falling out of the headcover.

"Jeremiah, we can fix these things, but only with the Light's help. Why won't you accept it? The Light can help us all, it can defend us from the Old Gods and all manner of evil, but only if you will accept it into your heart.", Lillian breathed, her voice very gentle and calm, like birdsong. She didn't seem to have the typical rasp of a Forsaken.

"You're a fool. If the Light really was so great, why would it have made you and I into these disgusting, shambling corpses, hmm? Why wouldn't it have just let us stay dead?"

"It wasn't our time, evidently. Jeremiah, you cannot be so angry over things that you do not understand. If the Light sought to keep us alive, then so be it. There's no use being bitter over fate. Our fate was to be resurrected by the Banshee Queen, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"Hmmph.", Jeremiah snarled, turning away from the priestess and taking a harsh gulp of the alcohol in front of him. "Excuse me, Miss?", Lillian whispered, trying to get Sapphira's attention. The elf looked confusedly both ways, before questioningly pointing to herself. Lillian nodded in response. "Is there something you need?", Sapphira asked awkwardly, looking around hurriedly for Thalarion. "Your eye, I sense a strong impurity coming from it. That covering over it, can you remove it?", the Forsaken female requested kindly.

"What do you mean, you 'sense' it?", Sapphira retorted, suddenly intrigued. "As you can likely see, milady, I cannot sense the physical world. I'm blind, my eyes were taken in death. I've retained my faith in the Light though, and it has gifted me with healing abilities and the power to sense corruption where others cannot.", the priestess murmured quietly, lifting her head and dragging her fingers across the leather strips that covered her eyes. "That's quite fascinating...", Sapphira drawled, staring where the Forsaken pointed.

"Lillian, leave the woman alone. She doesn't want to hear about your delusions.", Jeremiah groaned, "Miss, I apologize for my sister. She tends to take her healing duties a bit too seriously."

Thalarion showed up at the side of the table, with two cups and a carafe of white wine. He raised a long Elven eyebrow at the Forsaken siblings, before taking his seat next to Sapphira. "It's no matter, I actually want to hear more of what she has to say.", the frost magi said, motioning to Lillian. "What did you say your names were?"

Lillian spoke up first, hushing her brother. "Jeremiah and Lillian Elsington, and you are?"

"Lady Sapphira Azurebreeze, and this is my partner, Sir Thalarion Sunstrike.", the pale elf said, cocking her head towards Thalarion, who had busied himself with wine. Sapphira poured out some wine for herself and sipped it gently, feeling the crisp taste rejuvenate her mouth.

"Sapphira, are you planning on staying here in Hearthstone, or are you moving on?", Lillian questioned, wrapping a rotting hand around her brother's arm. "We're moving on shortly after this,why do you ask?", she replied, wondering why Lillian was asking. "You don't seem to have a healer in your party, I can sense Thalarion's magic deficiency. Would you allow Jeremiah and I to come along? We could be quite useful, and it's so dreadfully dull around here.", the priestess all but begged, tightening her grip on Jeremiah. "We've only just met you though.", Thalarion spoke up, eyes narrowing at the Undead.

"Do you distrust us? Is that the problem?"

"To an extent, yes."

"I promise, my brother and I mean no harm. We just want to get out of here, see the world and experience a little bit of adventure. Do you understand?"  
"I suppose I do. Sapphira and I are gathering information about various flora and fauna, would you be able to help with that?"

"Yes, I'm rather skilled in the art of botany, and Jeremiah can skin with the best of them."

"But you can't even see, how do you know which herbs are which?"

"Herbs have a certain aura to them that I can pick up on, each one has a different 'signature' that I can use to identify them with."

"Being blind really does have its perks, doesn't it?"

"More than you would think.", Lillian chuckled, "So do we have an agreement?"

"Yes, I think having a healer and another set of offensive hands would do well.", Thalarion agreed, reaching out and gently shaking Lillian's hand.

Their accord was disrupted by a loud "Hey!" and a crash of metal to the ground. They all turned and saw that a large Worgen female had tripped over a Dwarf crusader's stray foot and knocked both of them to the ground. "I'm so sorry!", the Worgen pleaded, picking herself off of the wooden floor and extending a hand to the Dwarf. The Dwarf only scowled and muttered something foul beneath his breath, retaking his seat and leaving the tall, burly Worgen to stand awkwardly. She quickly covered her face and made her way to the last remaining seat in the inn, next to Lillian.

"Lillian Elsington, is that you?", she said excitedly as she neared them, canine eyes widened in awe. Lillian turned her face in the direction of the Worgen and immediately stood, extending her arms and wrapping the lycanthrope in a tight embrace. "By the Light, Rosettia, what's happened to you?", Lillian lilted worriedly, sensing the Worgen Curse in her friend. Releasing the small Undead, Rosettia took her seat and froze as she heard the war axes mounted on her back clatter to the ground.

"Still haven't outgrown your clumsiness, I see, Blackthorne.", snorted Jeremiah, staring at the increasingly embarrassed Gilnean. "Can it, Jeremiah.", she barked, sweeping the axes beneath the table. "Who are these people?", Rosettia asked, pointing a clawed thumb at the Elven pair. Sapphira and Thalarion quickly introduced themselves as Rosettia swept her salted braids over her pauldrons. "Pleasure to meet you both, I'm Rosettia Blackthorne.", she said proudly, vigorously shaking Thalarion's hand.

"Rosettia, you didn't answer my question. What's happened to you, why are you here?", Lillian interjected, audibly concerned. "Gilneas fell, Lillian. The Worgen broke through the wall and Sylvanas' army followed. Those who didn't manage to escape the Curse likely fell to the Plague, only a few hundred managed to make it out with King Greymane.", Rosettia sighed, running a long,clawed hand through her jet black mane.

"By the Light... I assume you've been afflicted with the Curse, then?", Lillian whimpered, extending a hand and wrapping her bone fingers around one of Rosettia's claws. "You bet. It's not so bad though, you know? Sort of a blessing in disguise, like your blindness.", Rosettia chortled, leaning back in her chair. Sapphira and Thalarion had both been keeping quiet, listening the boisterous Worgen's tale of woe. Interestingly enough, Rosettia didn't seem too fazed by any of it, reciting it like a report on Dragon's Tongue.

"Well, it's pleasing to see that you're still in good spirits. What are you doing here?", Lillian sighed, patting Rosettia's hand gently before pulling away. "I only recently got out of Gilneas, this was one of the few places I could think of that was really safe. I'm not really sure what to do now that I'm out, to tell you the truth. I saw some horrible black dragon on the way here though, headed north. It was torching a lot of the Hillsbrad Foothills. The thing looked like it was made out of Blackrock Mountain itself.", She shuddered, re-imagining the horrid creature.

Sapphira took this moment to speak up. "A black dragon? We saw the same one destroy a zeppelin in Orgrimmar.", the pale elf mentioned, thinking of that fateful day. "You don't suppose it could be Neltharion the Earthwarder, do you?", Rosettia replied, thinking hard. "No, it couldn't be.", Thalarion butted in, "Alexstrasza and the rest of the Aspects sealed Neltharion away longer ago than any of us have even been alive."

"But it could be!", Lillian exclaimed, "Perhaps that's why I've been sensing such a strange corruption beneath the ground. It's no ordinary corruption though, it seems to be made of pure hatred and fury... Wouldn't you be filled with hatred and anger if you had been sealed away?"

"All of you are insane for even entertaining such an idea. How could he even break free? It's madness.", Jeremiah growled, downing the rest of his whiskey.

"Neltharion was filled with the madness of the Old Gods when he was imprisoned. After all this time, don't you think that the Old Gods could've finally broken him completely? It's not entirely out of the question, brother.", Lillian retorted, deep in thought. "Why are we discussing something so heavy? Come on, lighten up, the lot of you!", Rosettia awkwardly laughed, balancing her chair on its hind legs.

"So you got any plans, Lillian? I'm not really sure what to do with myself, now that I'm out of Gilneas.", Rosettia droned, staring at her friend. "Jeremiah and I are joining Sapphira and Thalarion, to aid in their research and provide some extra hands.", Lillian replied affectionately, motioning to the two Sin'Dorei.

"Really? So I guess that means I can't tag along?", the Worgen pouted, looking to the Elves. "Well, that depends. Are you any good in battle?", Thalarion questioned, assessing the Worgen's strength based on her gargantuan size. "Hell yeah, I am! You think these axes are just for show? I'm one of the best warriors that Gilneas has to offer.", Rosettia boasted, thumping her fist to her chest proudly.

"You should believe her. Rose may be clumsy outside of battle, but she's a force to be reckoned with in combat.", Lillian voiced, gesticulating calmly.

"Hmm.", Sapphira buzzed, turning towards Thalarion with an eyebrow raised. Thalarion shrugged in response, and left his partner to do the talking. "We'd love to have you aboard, Rosettia.", the magi answered, shakily extending a hand to the warrior.

"Aw, you won't regret it, Miss Azurebreeze!", the Worgen crowed happily, rattling Sapphira's delicate hand back and forth, before finally losing her balance and falling backwards in her chair.


	3. Basilisks and Rocs

The newly founded group of adventurers soon left Hearthstone, after picking Rosettia up off the ground and scolding her for her clumsiness.

The three new additions certainly were a sight to behold. Rossetia had sleek, silver fur, and a thick, onyx mane. She stood at least seven and a half feet tall, if not more, towering over even Thalarion. Her muscles were displayed openly, as her crimson and red plated cuirass exposed her midriff. Her armor was quite magnificent, covered in harsh Legion-like spines and seemingly having veins running across it. Her axes were cruel looking themselves, wickedly sharp and grimly shaped.

Lillian was much less intimidating, donning white and grey Priestess' vestments that were lightly adorned in small, blue spheres. Upon her back, she carried an ivory staff with a golden angel at the top, a glowing halo decorating the head. Whenever her veil-like hood drew back, it exposed long tendrils of darkened, teal hair. The black leather strips that covered her eyes also seemed to wind completely around her head, covering a spot where an ear might have been at one time as well. In her remaining ear, there was small, gilded hoop.

Jeremiah, on the other hand, seemed to retain a certain surliness in his appearance. He had no hair, evidently having lost it in death. His armor was an exact copy of the Legacy Hunter's armor that Sapphira and Thalarion had seen in Northrend, right down to the frozen, gas mask-like helmet. He had obtained the green variant of it, denoting a possible military career in Northrend before his demise and resurrection. Small skulls had been placed in his sabatons and girdle, seeming to laugh. On his back, he carried a heavy, Saronite crossbow, a goat's skull fixed where his arrows would shoot out. The rest of the bow was embellished in thorn-like spikes.

"Silithus? Why on Earth do we have to go there?", Rosettia squalled, voice heavy with Gilnean accent and Worgen rasp. "There are certain creatures there that aren't found anywhere else on Azeroth, I absolutely have to research them before someone else does.", Sapphira replied tersely, quickly growing tired of her newfound company. Thalarion had been keeping quiet lately, which was rather out of the norm, but Sapphira paid it no mind. "By creatures, I assume you mean overgrown bugs. And besides that, I thought that the Qiraji had been blockaded by the Scarab Wall.", Rosettia argued back, thinking of the horrid insectoids. "No, you're thinking too far back in history, the Scarab Wall was brought down and destroyed several years ago. Perhaps this new corruption has reawakened the Qiraji, however.", Lillian thought aloud, walking closely to Rosettia and grasping her massive forearm.

The group soon caught a ship to the Eastern Kingdoms, and from there, marched to Tanaris. They soon reached Gadgetzan, where they stopped to take a look at their maps. "I believe there is a path at the western edge, at the border of Un'Goro Crater, that can take us through and into northern Silithus.", Jeremiah explained, dragging his finger along the map of Tanaris, laying out the path. "Well, let's get going then.", Thalarion spoke up, looking up at the night sky, "We only have a few hours until daylight, and I'd prefer to get out of the desert before then."

The male Forsaken nodded, and the group headed out into the cool desert. They walked for a few miles before coming across a massive skeleton, infested with fire rocs. "Hold on, I'll take care of this.", Rosettia assured, racing ahead of the rest of them, throwing herself on to the first roc. She sunk both axes deep within its neck, decapitating it, spraying blood over her face and neck. The flaming birds swarmed her, dragging harsh talons across her back. Rosettia snarled, grabbing one by the foot and burying an axe in its torso. Quickly retrieving her axe, she turned and swung wildly, creating deep, seeping gouges in several of the large birds. They squawked angrily, their angry screeches ringing in her ears.

The rest of the group calmly watched the frenzied Worgen tear apart the birds, blood and feathers spattering everywhere. All that remained afterwards was scarlet sand, chunks of avian flesh, and scattered, mutilated bodies. Rosettia dropped to all fours and raced back to the band, the red liquid on her starting to congeal.

The rest of the explorers paid no mind to the warrior's messy state, and continued traipsing through the desert. Several times, Lillian tripped and sunk into a sand dune, and Jeremiah had to pull her out. After a few hours of hiking, Lillian tripped again, but a pair of eyes flashed beneath the sand. A glassy, chromatic basilisk slowly dug itself out of the beige dune, hissing at the team of explorers. The fin-like appendages at the side of its face flared out with each hiss, its haunting, golden orbs unblinking. Jeremiah quickly dragged Lillian out of the way as Thalarion and Rosettia rushed in. Thalarion forcefully drew his greatsword and attempted to pierce the basilisk's thick armor, but only bounced back. Rosettia pounced on its back, sticking her claws deep into its eyes. The lizard-like creature hissed even louder, spraying venom everywhere and throwing the Worgen from its back. A glob of venom splashed Thalarion's foot, causing him to gasp in pain and thrust his sword deep into the basilisk's bloody eyes. He twisted it as he buried it deeper and deeper, scrambling its brains, and held it there until it fell dead.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, the scarlet haired elf retrieved his blade from the basilisk's head, and turned to look at the rest of the party. Rosettia sighed and picked herself up off the ground, where the basilisk had tossed her, bounding towards Lillian. Sapphira came near to Thalarion, took his hand, and led him back to the group, where they resumed their journey. They soon found themselves at the standing stones, outside of Un'Goro Crater, as the sun began to rise. "Please, I need a moment to rest.", Lillian spoke up, starting to fall to her knees. Rosettia noticed and quickly raced over, grabbing the female Forsaken before she hit the ground. "It's alright, Lil. I got you..", Rosettia crooned, lifting the Forsaken into her arms.

"Don't worry, I'll carry her.", the Worgen assured, following behind as the rest of them began trekking down into Un'Goro.


	4. Bloody Forest

Un'Goro was sticky, humid, and filled to the brim with all manner of biting insects and aggressive beasts. Rosettia slung the now peacefully asleep Lillian over her shoulder, walking closely next to Sapphira, with Thalarion and Jeremiah behind them. They moved slowly down the steep incline into Un'Goro from Tanaris, closely observing the dense overgrowth and sparse daylight peeking through the lush jungle canopy. From the incline, they could see raptors populating the few open spaces, and pteranodons flying high near the branches of the towering trees. Jeremiah readied his crossbow, knowing that in all likelihood, they would be mobbed as soon as they reached the forest floor.

"Is there something wrong with Lillian?", Thalarion suddenly spoke up, breaking the group's silence. "Her ability to sense auras and corruption drains her energy rather quickly, you must understand.", Rosettia answered, quickly silencing Jeremiah, who shot her a glare. "I suppose nothing comes without its price.", Sapphira mused aloud, directing her gaze to a large, sky blue raptor standing in their path.

The massive beast snorted and scraped its foot in the loose soil, boring its reptilian orbs into Jeremiah and preparing to charge. The male Forsaken swiftly loaded a bolt into his ballista-like weapon, taking aim at the scaly creature. Thalarion drew his greatsword and went racing towards the beast as soon as it charged, aiming a well placed slice at its foot, knocking it to the ground. An arcane charged bolt came flying past the elf's shoulder and into the raptor's shoulder, then another into its ribcage, and a final one into its head.

With a small roar of defeat, the raptor expired, head landing harshly on the jungle soil. "I haven't done this much fighting with wildlife in awhile.", Thalarion commented, flicking the raptor blood off of his sword and replacing it on his back. Jeremiah gave a small nod of agreement as he holstered his crossbow. The male Undead looked up to his sleeping sister, her head on her Worgen friend's neck, the rest of her robed body hanging gently with the Worgen hand on the small of her back.

The band of explorers moved slowly throughout Un'Goro, constantly fighting with raptors, stray Silithid, flower elementals, and various species of dinosaur. Sapphira eventually took Thalarion's place in battle, as he soon grew tired. He was covered in blood and various plant fluids, due to Jeremiah's bolts making such a mess. They traveled until even Rosettia was out of breath and aching, the last leg to Cenarion Hold was a death march for them all.

They all but fell into the inn at Cenarion Hold, having run rather than walked after they had gotten out of Un'Goro, for fear they would be mobbed by Silithid or other creatures. Rosettia was the first to collapse, carrying Lillian had been sapping at her strength since about midway through Un'Goro. The Kal'Dorei innkeeper only took one look at them before nodding and leading them upstairs, where they each fell either on to the floor or a lavender bed.

Lillian was the first to awake, looking around at her companions. Sapphira and Thalarion were wrapped around eachother, legs tangled, Sapphira's head in the crook of Thalarion's neck. Jeremiah was laying haphazardly on the floor, his crossbow a few inches away from him. Rosettia was hanging halfway off of a bed, legs and arms splayed into a large "X". The Undead female only shook her head and stifled a laugh, before heading downstairs in search of food.

Taking a seat at a nearby table, Lillian was quickly met by the Night Elf inkeeper. "Do you require something, Miss?", the elf asked, voice very quiet and quick. "Some bread and water, please.", Lillian replied kindly, looking up to the woman's face. The Night Elf hurried away, visibly shaken by Lillian's blindness. There was a slight rustle as she ducked under the nearby bar, gathering what Lillian had asked for. As she swept away, Jeremiah staggered down the stairs, almost drunkenly so, and joined his sister. Planting himself lazily near Lillian, he yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his haunting eyes. The priestess giggled quietly, averting her face's direction to her brother. "I trust you slept well?", she asked gently, reaching out a hand to Jeremiah's shoulder.

"As best I could, really. You failed to mention how loudly Rosettia snores.", he replied with another yawn.

"I hadn't seen her since before our resurrection, you know. I'm sure it was quite a shock for her to see us in this form, as it was for us to see her as a Worgen."

"I'm amazed that she recognized you at all, Lillian. You don't look at all the way you did when you were human."

"I don't miss being human at all, do you?"

"I do, more than you would think.", he snorted, eyes turning up to see the innkeeper with bread and water. Evidently, the elf had noticed Jeremiah join Lillian, since she had brought several helpings of bread and two cups, along with a carafe of water. Lillian nodded _"Thank you"_ at the elf, before pouring herself some water and gently sipping it. Jeremiah all but attacked the loaves of bread, tearing into one like he had never eaten. Lillian laughed gently, taking a small helping of a different loaf for herself. They all immediately heard as Rosettia came falling down the stairs loudly, landing in a heap at the bottom. She stood up with a groan, ignoring Jeremiah's incredulous glare, and proceeded to dump herself next to Lillian with a side.

Rosettia grab a hunk of bread with one hand and put her other arm around Lillian's hunched shoulders, drawing her closely next to her. Lillian giggled and smiled affectionately, resting her head against the warrior's chest as she ate. The trio sat and ate in silence, waiting for the remaining two to wake up, wander down, and join them.

Sapphira woke with her face buried into Thalarion's neck, her legs entangled with his, her body being nearly crushed by the sheer force of his arms wrapped around her. His crimson hair had also fallen down on to her, which she quickly brushed out of the way to the best of her ability. She felt him move ever so slightly, then press a sleepy kiss to her forehead. She struggled against his arms, only causing him to hold her tighter. She heard him snickering, felt his chest heaving with each laugh. "Let me go, the others are already downstairs. Don't want to be giving them any ideas, do we?", she teased, leaning up and kissing his scarlet goatee. "Maybe they deserve those ideas, just a little bit.", he sniggered lewdly, kissing Sapphira's lips warmly. "Some other time, perhaps.", she breathed, pulling away and finally being released from Thalarion's arms.

The elf pair wandered to the lower level of the Cenarion Hold after pulling themselves together, meeting the rest of their party. Rosettia tossed a hunk of bread to Thalarion as he sat down next to Jeremiah, offering a suggestive grin. "Trust me, you would've heard us if we had been doing that.", he snickered, directing a taunting look in the Worgen's direction. Lillian choked on her bread, a whistling laughter emitting from her. Sapphira rolled her eyes as she snatched a bit of bread from Thalarion, elbowing him in the ribs as she did so.

"Enough teasing, you're like children.", Jeremiah grumbled, swatting Lillian's shoulder lightly as her shuddering laughter subsided. "Well, we're in Silithus, just as you wanted. Now what?", Rosettia questioned, absentmindedly dragging her claws on the back of Lillian's hood. " **Ahn'Qiraj.** ", Sapphira replied solemnly.


	5. Qiraji

The group found themselves standing at the gates of the temple of Ahn'Qiraj. They could hear the faint skitter and squeak of massive Silithid and Qiraji inside, as well as Lillian feeling a powerful aura of corruption from deep within the temple. It was strangely like that of the one she felt that seemed to be connected to the destructive black dragon, filled with rage and hatred.

"Sapphira, perhaps this isn't such a good idea...", the female Undead whimpered fearfully. "Nonsense! We've come all this way, we aren't turning around now.", Jeremiah growled, shooting a harsh glare at his sister. "Thalarion and I will take point.", Rosettia ordered, "Sapphira and Jeremiah, I want you two behind us, and I want Lillian last in line." "Yes, listen to the oafish dog.", the male Forsaken snorted, earning a quick _thwack_ to the head from Rosettia. He fell face first into the sand, earning several coarse laughs from the warrior and the priestess.

"Enough chit-chat, let's move.", Thalarion grunted, grabbing Rosettia by the shoulder and leading her to the front of the group. As they entered the gates, Rosettia readied her war axes, Thalarion drew his greatsword, and Jeremiah loaded his crossbow. Lillian clutched a string of pearl rosary beads in one hand and a holy tome in the other, offering a quick prayer and blessing her companions. Sapphira swiftly downed a potion, increasing her magical power.

Standing at the entrance to the Qiraji temple were several obsidian quadrupeds and Anubisath titans. Without warning, Rosettia let loose a fierce roar and threw herself at one of the quadrupeds, thrusting her axes into its stone flesh. The stone abomination uttered a gravelly growl, slamming one of its massive mineral wings into the Worgen's torso, throwing her off as though she weighed nothing. It called to several of its comrades, bringing more of the obsidian creatures into the fray. Sapphira began launching ice spikes in the direction of the first quadruped, as Jeremiah took aim at the others and showered bolts on to them. Thalarion went rushing towards a lone one, driving his greatsword into it as hard as he could.

With a small blast of white light, Lillian healed Rosettia, raising her off the ground. The Worgen laughed wildly, grappling on to the back of one of the beasts, lodging one of her weapons in its mouth and pulling backwards. The topmost part of its head came off with a sickening crack, falling to the ground and crumbling like dust. The warrior quickly pushed off of its neck, turning a flip as she landed behind it. Jeremiah was launching bolts in numerous directions at an astonishing rate, cracking one of the stone beasts upside the head with his crossbow as it neared him.

Thalarion was pinned down by one of the abominations, the only thing standing between him and its wretched claws was his greatsword. With one hard thrust, he shoved it off of him, knocking it on to its side. He began hacking away at its neck, grunting with exertion. Sapphira caught a glance at him out of the corner of her eye, forming a sphere of arcane ice and lobbing it at the fallen mineral guardian. The magical orb detonated the moment it came into contact with the guardian, exploding and destroying the head, but also throwing Thalarion backwards rather forcefully. Lillian immediately sensed Thalarion's aura change, and gracefully cast a levitating spell on him, catching him and placing him back on the ground gently.

As his feet hit the ground, Thalarion collapsed to his knees and gazed at the smoldering corpses of the quadrupeds around him. Rosettia was still slicing away brutally at a corpse, Lillian came racing over quickly and pulled her back gently. "Well... that went better than expected.", the paladin laughed, eyes turning to look at Sapphira as she wandered over to him, holding out a hand. "Don't go getting yourself killed, nitwit.", Sapphira sighed as she pulled her counterpart up to his feet.

The band of adventurers fought through the quadrupeds and the Anubisath titans, leaving each encounter largely unscathed. They reached the steps leading into the silithid hive, filled with energy and resolve. As they began walking in, Jeremiah quickly held out an arm and stopped them. "Stop. Something doesn't seem right.", he muttered suspiciously, looking around the temple exterior.

" _Are you so eager to die? I'll be happy to accommodate you._ ", came a foul, deep bellow. A towering, Qiraji prophet emerged from the shadows, cruel eyes focused on Jeremiah. "The Prophet Skeram...", Lillian gulped, unseeing face trained where the Prophet's energy was emanating from. Rosettia turned and retched at the sight of the grand Qiraji, Thalarion shoved Sapphira out of Skeram's way as he neared closer to the group. Rosettia wiped the bile from her mouth, pouncing on one of the Prophet's legs and beginning to swing her axes wildly.

Sapphira sent a cone of frost towards the Qiraji, running backwards to join Jeremiah in his position. The male Undead fumbled with his bolts, loading and firing them as quickly as he could. Thalarion assisted Rosettia in her assault, bringing his greatsword down heavily on one of the Prophet's many legs. " _Cower, mortals! The age of darkness is at hand_.", Skeram hollered, summoning a thick cloud of shadows around Lillian's face.


	6. Skeram

**I couldn't think, my hands wouldn't work, I couldn't hear my friends... My dear brother, I couldn't sense him at all. In the back of my mind, there was that demonic insect's voice.. Skeram. Oh God, someone help me. Brother, where are you?**

Lillian's face was shrouded in deep, roiling shadows. She slowly drew her staff from her back, moving like a newly reanimated corpse, stiffly and awkwardly. "Jeremiah, hold off Lillian! She's being mind controlled!", Sapphira shouted to the male Undead, who quickly turned and shot the staff out of his sister's hands. Jeremiah holstered his crossbow and threw himself on to Lillian, holding her wrists down the ground and rendering her immobile.

 **Light, where is my brother? Where are they? I'm so frightened, I am but a child in the face of evil.**

Rosettia and Thalarion continued their physical assault on the Qiraji Prophet, Sapphira occasionally lobbing arcane frost bombs at the insectoid. Lillian was struggling and speaking in vile Silithid tongues, scratching and acting like a rabid animal. She grasped on to Jeremiah's wrists, gripping them tightly and channeling Shadow magic into him.

 **Rosettia...**

Jeremiah groaned loudly in pain, fighting against the agonizing magic Lillian was forcing into him. Reluctantly, he let her go and fell backwards, writhing in the harsh torment. "Rosettia!", he choked out, calling attention to his now-freed sister. Rosettia hastily looked to the Forsaken Priestess and lodged her axes in the Prophet Skeram, dropping on all fours and bounding over to Lillian. The Worgen slammed into the Priestess, throwing them both into a somersault until Lillian was beneath Rosettia again. Rosettia had Lillian pinned, holding her so securely that she couldn't even move her hands.

Jeremiah speedily recovered from his sister's assault, jumping to his feet and pumping arrows out of his crossbow into the Qiraji lord.

" _Puny mortals._ ", Skeram crowed, causing small blasts of black magic around him. "Finish him, now!", Thalarion bellowed to Sapphira. The pale elf nodded in understanding, shaking in anticipation. The bandages that covered her cursed eye, a scar of Sjol'Vess, flew off, exposing its swirling icy azure depths. Several strands of her arctic hair came out from her tight bun, flying around her face wildly.

A cobalt rune circle appeared beneath Skeram, a bone chilling cold wafting from it. A small circle formed beneath Sapphira, pale blue swirls of energy winding around her and gathering at her palms. The elven magi raised her arms, then swiftly brought them down. At the same time, a massive icicle formed above Skeram and came crashing down on to him. The enchanted ice pierced the insectoid's hardened shell, lime green blood spraying everywhere as the Prophet was torn apart.

When the icy mist cleared, the mutilated remains of Skeram were exposed, the rune beneath him quickly fading. Rosettia gazed down on to the Priestess below her, watching meticulously as the charcoal shadows dispersed from her face. Her grip on the Forsaken slowly loosened, a palm drifting to her friend's face as she broke free of Skeram's vicious mind control. The group slowly gathered around to where Lillian lay on the ground, wondering if any permanent damage had been done to their priestess. Lillian took a shuddering breath and coughed, reaching out a hand to Rosettia's face. A smile broke out across the Worgen's face as she gently lifted the Forsaken into her arms, hugging her affectionately. The rest of the group sighed in relief, taking a short break before heading farther into the Ahn'Qiraj.

Sapphira wandered over to the splattered remains of the Prophet Skeram, poking around, looking for vestigial appendages or any clues of what the Qiraji evolved from. She had some experience with the Nerubians in Northrend, due to her career with the Kirin Tor. The mage beckoned Thalarion over, motioning for him to snap off several pieces of Skeram's exoskeleton and the bone-like adornments that came from the Qiraji's "neck". "I'm completely in awe that Lillian seems largely unharmed, that was an extremely strong mind control spell.", Sapphira commented as she watched Thalarion work. "I am too, to be honest with you... Doesn't she seem to be a bit of a liability though? She's barely been conscious for much of this journey, it's a miracle none of us were severely wounded in Un'Goro.", Thalarion replied wearily, chipping away at Skeram's corpse. Sapphira briskly turned her head to make sure Rosettia, Lillian, and Jeremiah were out of earshot, before speaking again.

"We can't get rid of her, even if she is a bit of a liability. She's fragile, that's her only problem... Besides, if we ditch her, we lose Rosettia and Jeremiah as well.", the smaller elf sighed, sitting down cross-legged next to Thalarion.

"That Rosettia, she's really something... I've never seen someone with such heightened reflexes and bloodlust."

"She's careless though, you've seen how easily she gets thrown around. The way she moves and acts, it is as though she is blinded by a scarlet haze... Do you not worry she may attack one of us by accident?"

"No, not at all. She may be a bit careless, but not on that level...", he grunted, tearing off several of the Prophet's bone appendages and falling backwards. Sapphira snorted and scooted closer to him, gently brushing the hair and sand out of his face.

"Hey, pretty boy! Are we going or what?", Rosettia yelled, waving at Thalarion with Lillian perched on one of her pauldrons, narrowly avoiding its wicked spikes. Sapphira snickered softly and helped Thalarion to his feet once more, taking the pieces of Skeram's cadaver away from him and stowing them in several dark pouches. "Are you finally off of your arses?", he bantered back, laughing and readying his greatsword once more.


	7. In the Face of God

With the delicate Forsaken priestess on her shoulder, Rosettia leaned down and retrieved her axes from the gooey mess that was the Prophet Skeram. The group continued to venture through Ahn'Qiraj without further incident, ripping body parts from silithid and shredding off pieces of the hive walls. Much to Rosettia's disgust, the Qiraji and the silithid didn't get any less grotesque, only more so. Everything was going swimmingly and according to plan, until after they had finished off the Twin Emperors.

"That hateful aura... It is very near to us, I can sense it through that doorway.", Lillian mumbled, pointing to the exit from the Emperors' chambers. "What do you suppose it is? An Old God, maybe?", Rosettia quipped excitedly, bouncing from one foot to the other. "Let's hope not.", Jeremiah grumbled, cocking his crossbow and loading another bolt into it. "Must you always be such a killjoy, Jerry? Imagine how much honor we would receive if we killed one of those eldritch horrors! Maybe I'd even receive one of the Lifebinder's handmaidens for my trouble...", the Worgen warrior rambled in her thick Gilnean accent, thinking about one of the beautiful Red Dragonflight maidens.

"Don't ever call me that again, you fleabag.", Jeremiah growled, infuriated at being dubbed "Jerry".

"Suit yourself, Jer.", Rosettia snickered, shrugging and heading towards the exit Lillian had pointed to earlier. The rest of the group raced to catch up with the massive Lycanthrope, who was already drawing her axes in anticipation. "Tell you what ,guys, if it's an Old God, you all owe me 100 gold. Deal?", she squawked again, turning to Thalarion and giving him a grin.

Thalarion smirked back, drawing his greatsword and nodding. "Alright, Rosettia, you have a deal. I'll place a bet on a swarm of Battleguards, like Sartura. Anyone else want to wager?", the scarlet-haired elf laughed. "Hmmm... I'll place a bet on... Mal'Ganis?", Lillian guffawed, sticking closely to her brother, who rolled his eyes harder with every additional bit of banter. Rosettia and Thalarion burst out laughing, wheezing so hard they thought they might keel over. Sapphira offered a small snicker, before joining in the eye rolling with Jeremiah. "You're all such children...", Jeremiah scowled, leaning against the doorway into the empty room that the hallway had led to.

Rosettia stood and looked into the room confusedly. "There's nothing in there...?", she squalled, running into the room and searching the walls, as though she had missed something. "Rose, don't!", Lillian screamed, but it was too late. A massive eye rose from the center of the floor, creating a murky puddle of inky corruption around it. The rest of the group hastily ran into the room, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the gates suddenly slamming closed. " _Death... is... close._ ", the massive, evil eye seemed to whisper, gazing directly down on to Rosettia. She only began to chortle as though a great joke had just been made, holding her sides and pointing up at it.

"The lot of you owe me 100 gold!", she yelled back at them, laughing still as she launched towards the eye and began slashing away at it. Thalarion was the second to come to his senses and jump into combat, driving his greatsword into the gargantuan eye. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see bolts flying from the corner of the room, denoting that Jeremiah had sprung into action. Sapphira had taken the other corner of the room, tossing frosty arcane bombs and firing out ice spikes. Eye stalks began to rise from the ground, occasionally zapping them with disgusting, verdant green beams. Lillian uttered a silent prayer, healing her comrades as fast as they were damaged.

Several minutes of combat went on and on, Jeremiah eventually switching to taking down the eye stalks rather than eldritch eye itself. Eventually, the strange abomination let out a small groan and sank into the ground. "Ahahaha, that's what you get! Get back here, I was only getting warmed up!", Rosettia raved, chortling and kicking the corruption she stood in, turning completely around to look at Lillian. She saw all of her friends' faces go grim, staring up as a shadow seemed to be cast on the lycanthrope. "Rose...Look behind you.", Jeremiah said darkly, pointing up at the thing casting the shadow.

Rosettia cautiously turned her head, fearing what she would see. Her jaw dropped as she saw the mass of teeth and eyes that had taken the original eye's place, twitching grotesquely. "God in Heaven...", her words came flying out, eyes widened in horror. _Come on, Rosie... No fear allowed when you're part of Crowley's pack, remember?_

The Worgen's expression of horror was quickly replaced by a snide smirk. "Back for round two, eh?", she taunted, burying an axe in the side of the Old God, hitting a stray eye. Black blood seeped from wherever she struck. "Thalarion! Snap the hell out of it and fight!", she bellowed to the paladin, breaking him out of his frozen state. He swung his greatsword down into one of the tentacles that seemed to keep the God grounded, gagging as the putrid blood flowed. Sapphira and Jeremiah began a barrage of enchanted bolts and sharpened ice spikes, firing them in any seemingly weak spot that they could.

Lillian's rosary beads had begun to glow with a soft, calming light from her prayers and constant casting. She had begun a steady mantra, throwing golden lights to each of her companions, healing them with every passing moment. And then she heard it, the very voice of C'thun in her mind. _**"Your friends will abandon you."**_

Sweat had begun to form on Sapphira's brow, a lasting reminder that Sjol'Vess had taken much of her magical endurance away. She pushed through, continuing to barrage the eldritch horror with numerous glistening, icy bolts. That foul voice though, how it invaded her mind, threatening to drive her insane. _**"You will betray your friends."**_

Thalarion's blood was pumping harshly through his veins, his heart threatening to burst. He muttered a single phrase, perhaps the only spell he would ever even remotely master. A golden hammer made of light smashed down on to C'thun, momentarily dazing the monster and halting its attacks. In the back of his head though, it consumed his thoughts. _**"You are weak."**_

" _I would've told Lillian she was insane if she had ever told me that her and I would be fighting Old Gods with two elves and a Worgen..."_ , Jeremiah thought to himself as loaded another set of barrage bolts into his crossbow. His bone fingers moved nimbly across the bow, showing great mastery with his weapon. That voice in his head though, he kept trying to beat it back, but no, it wouldn't disappear. _**"You are already dead."**_

Rosettia turned and saw the struggle within her companions' eyes, hearing that strange vocalization herself. _**"Your courage will fail."**_ She roughly shook her head, her salted braids flying wildly. "Don't listen to it! It's playing off of your fears!", she yelled, frenzying her flurries of attacks.

They fought and they fought and they fought. Just as soon as Lillian thought she would collapse, C'thun fell dead with a loud, mumbling groan.


	8. Moonglow

**NOTE :THIS IS AN OPTIONAL CHAPTER. IF YOU LIKE, YOU MAY SKIP IT, YOU WILL NOT LOSE ANY OF THE STORY**

The warm campfire crackled, casting dancing shadows across the three tents that the group had pitched on the Tanaris beach. While in Ahn'Qiraj, the black dragon had evidently returned and flooded a large portion of Tanaris, crystalline blue ocean waters now meeting golden sand. They had pitched their tents remarkably close to the water, only a few feet away. Thankfully, there were no enemies in sight, a pleasant surprise and change.

"I still don't think we got the renown we deserve for killing C'Thun.", Thalarion scowled, running his hand up and down Sapphira's arm. The smaller elf had fallen asleep leaning against his side, and now slept soundly with her head in his lap. "Ah, well... What can you do, I suppose...", Rosettia muttered, arm around Lillian, as always.

Jeremiah looked solemnly up at the full moons for a long while, not bothering to comment on any of the conversation. He soon quietly retired to his tent, managing to do so without calling any attention to himself. Thalarion soon picked up Sapphira and carried her into their tent as well, drifting into slumber with the snowy haired woman cradled in his arms. Lillian and Rosettia watched calmly as the campfire died down to embers, the only illumination now coming from the White Lady and the Blue Child.

"Lil, come with me.. I've been meaning to speak to you alone, since Ahn'Qiraj.", Rosettia whispered, not wishing to wake up the others. Lillian smiled and nodded, grasping on to the lycanthrope's arm and being led to the water's edge.

They stood in silence for a few moments, simply listening to the gentle lull of the waves against the sand. No civilization as far as the eye could see, it was extremely peaceful. "Lillian, I'm not too sure how to say this...", Rosettia stuttered, looking down into her friend's sweet, pale face. "Show me it then.", Lillian suggested, voice always so kind and lilting. "I can't, not in this form, anyway.", the worgen sighed, stepping away from the Forsaken and taking a deep breath.

She concentrated hard for a moment, before falling to her knees and morphing shape. Her snout receded back into a human face, legs snapping into original shape, height lessening. When she stood again, she stood as a human, not a beast. She had thick, raven-black hair down to her shoulders in braids, and tanned, chestnut skin. Her face had prominent features, a very high bridged nose and large, black eyes.

Moving back closer to Lillian, she gently caressed the Undead's face. Lillian's smaller hand immediately flew up, grasping the now hairless appendage. "The Night Elves, they gave us the ability to sometimes walk as men, rather than beasts. I cannot stay in this form for long, however, only for an hour or two... But now, I can show you what I wanted to.", Rosettia drawled, Worgen rasp now gone with only a high class Gilnean accent remaining.

With her remaining hand, Rosettia drew back Lillian's hood, exposing the strange teal hair and her soft features. Moving her other hand down to cup the Forsaken's jaw, she gently aimed Lillian's head up towards her own. Softly, she pressed her full-bodied lips to the priestess' bow shaped ones.

Lillian took a sharp intake of breath and pulled closer, wrapping her arms around the warrior's neck.

The two women pulled away after a few moments, hearts pounding and heads hazy. "Lillian... You know how I am with words, don't you? I can't even express how happy I was when I found you again, even if you are a Forsaken...", Rosettia mumbled, leaning her forehead into Lillian's.

"Rose..."

"You don't have to say anything, Lil... I just want you to know that, well... I love you. I would die for you, if it ever came down to it."

Lillian laughed softly.

"Let's hope it never comes to that, sweet Rose."

"Do you mind my affliction with the Curse?"

"No, not by any means... I love you too, Rose."

Rosettia pressed her newfound human lips to Lillian's once more, running her long fingers through the Undead's stringy hair.

"Rose, I want you to love me completely.. Can you do that for me?"

The lycanthrope's eyes widened at the thought, startling her.

"Lillian... we don't have to do these things immediately, you know."

"Rose, I want them, don't you?"

"Yes, I do."  
"Then why do we procrastinate?"

Lillian gave a lewd smile and locked Rosettia into a warm kiss, bone fingers tangling in her braids. Rosettia was the first to pull away, taking Lillian's hand and leading her back to her tent with a lewd grin.


	9. Strained Hearts

Jeremiah was the first to rise, awaking early before dawn, sitting and peacefully watching the sun rise over the sea. It cast beautiful mauve and tangerine hues across the horizon, glinting off of the waves.

He sat cross-legged at the water's edge, glancing at footprints that were obviously Rosettia's. With a sigh, he gazed off into the distance at the sun. He was soon joined by Thalarion, who emerged from his tent quietly and took a seat next to the male Undead.

"Where is Lillian?", the crimson headed elf asked, turning and looking at the hunter. "Likely with the mutt.", Jeremiah grouchily rasped, removing a hidden canteen from the back of his belt, lifting his helmet, and taking a drink.

"Tell me something, Jeremiah."

"What do you need to know?"

"How do you and Lillian know Rosettia?"

"Lillian and I lived outside of Gilneas City as children, and Rosettia's parents would sometimes bring her out of the city to see us, play with us, things like that. Rosettia comes from a noble family, not that you'd ever be able to tell, and thus wasn't allowed to truly be a child much of the time. However, when Greymane began constructing the Wall and blockading Gilneas from everything else, our family moved away as quickly as we could..."

"That sounds rather saddening, my apologies."

"Only for Lillian, not so much for me. I merely tolerate Rosettia, if you hadn't noticed. I have no love for the woman, but I know my sister does, so I keep quiet.", Jeremiah said gruffly, taking another swig from his canteen.

"You care much for your sister, don't you?", Thalarion mumbled faintly, directing his gaze back to the sunrise. Jeremiah didn't reply, only handing the canteen to Thalarion, waiting for him to take a drink, then taking it back.

"I should probably go wake the others then, we need to discuss where we're going to go from here.", the paladin mentioned loudly, heading over to the Rosettia's tent in an effort to wake her. He lifted the tent flap, immediately gasping and putting a hand over his mouth. " _Jeremiah! Get over here!_ ", the elf hissed, beckoning hurriedly to the Forsaken.

Jeremiah and Thalarion peered into the makeshift shelter, in awe of the raw sight before them. Rosettia had reverted back to her Worgen form, naked as the day she was born, with Lillian laying on top of her. The Forsaken female was nude as well, arms draped around the Worgen's neck and legs splayed around her hips. The two were asleep, wrapped around eachother in a lover's embrace.

Jeremiah hastily backed away from the tent, falling on his arse as he did so. " _I didn't want to see either of those two naked, you imbecile!"_ , the hunter gagged, trying to wipe the image from his mind. Thalarion snickered and let the tent flap fall , dragging Jeremiah back to the water's edge, where the knight could begin his howling with laughter. The elf thought his sides were going to collapse, he was guffawing so hard, with Jeremiah growing more irritated with each passing moment. "Why would you show me that? Are you out of your mind?!", the infuriated Forsaken shouted, on his feet and fists balled in rage. Thalarion turned and saw Sapphira emerging from her tent, rubbing her eyes and looking confusedly at the furious Undead.

"What in the world are you hollering about, Jeremiah?", the pale, snowy haired elf asked, glaring at Thalarion, knowing he did something wrong. Rosettia and Lillian emerged from their tent, hearing the commotion themselves. Thankfully, they had both re-equipped their armor and weapons.

"Rosettia, may I have a word with you?", Jeremiah growled icily, digging his nails into the Worgen's bicep and forcefully leading her away. "What's going on?", Lillian breathed dreamily, "Did something happen?"

Thalarion turned a bright shade of red and mumbled something quietly. "Thalarion, speak up. Neither of us heard a word you said.", Sapphira said, aggravated at the whole situation. The red head took a deep intake of breath and turned to look at the Undead priestess. "Lillian, your brother and I just caught you and Rosettia naked,in bed together.", he explained, hiding his face sheepishly.

"Oh, by the Light, no wonder Jeremiah's so furious...", Lillian sobbed, putting a hand to her mouth and looking fearfully to where her brother and Rosettia had gone. She could see Jeremiah's arms waving wildly with each shout he fired to the Worgen, her ears flattened against her head as she argued back. Lillian went racing over, jumping into earshot of the two arguing.

"She isn't a little girl, Jeremiah! She's a young woman and can make her own choices, she doesn't need you to stand by and make them for her!", the lycanthrope bellowed, eyes wide in anger.

"You expect to stand by and watch as you use my sister for your _sick_ fantasies? She can't be on her own, and what am I supposed to do if you grow tired of her and leave her to rot?!", the Undead roared back.

" What 'fantasies'? You're delusional, I love your sister. These aren't your decisions to make, you arrogant dimwit! You treat her as though she is a child, constantly pushing her around and berating her!"

" _ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!"_ , Lillian screamed, silencing the two. The pair looked at eachother, then to the ground shyly. Thalarion and Sapphira stood in the background, watching the escapade unfold. Without a word, Lillian approached Jeremiah and hugged him tightly. Rosettia's jaw dropped in surprise at the sight. "Brother, I love you dearly, but Rose is right. This isn't your decision, it's mine.", the priestess sighed, pulling away from her brother and nearing the Worgen warrior. Taking the clawed hand into her own, Lillian stared at her brother.

"You're sure you want this?"

"Yes, brother."

With a groan, Jeremiah turned and wandered back to Thalarion and Sapphira, his scowling face hidden by his helmet.


	10. Xaxas

Weeks passed since the incident with Jeremiah, Lillian, Rosettia. No one ever mentioned it or Lillian and Rosettia's newfound relationship, which the two of them kept extremely private, for fear of setting off another fight. Things largely returned to normal, the group wandering about the Eastern Kingdoms in search of research opportunities.

They had stopped momentarily at Vendetta Point in the Southern Barrens, refilling their water and food supplies. Lillian was perched on Rosettia's shoulder, as had become the norm. Thalarion and Jeremiah stood refilling canteens while Sapphira bartered with a Tauren for food, speaking in the Taurahe dialect.

Lillian had been fidgety all day, sensing a stronger corruption than she typically did. The peaceful quietness of the Barrens was quickly broken, when one of the Tauren sharpshooters yelled out something in his native tongue.

" _Isha Awak!"_ , he yelled, voice deep and gruff, pointing to the constantly reappearing black drake. It was slowly flying across the ocean, landing harshly at the border between the Northern and Southern Barrens. The cries of "Isha Awak" ran across the camp, sharpshooters quickly taking aim with their rifles or crossbows at the massive, draconic horror. The band of adventures raced to the outskirts of the fences, closely observing the dragon. It plunged a massive, metal-plated handful of claws in the ground, with a shrieking roar. As it pulled its arm out of the ground, it took flight again. The Tauren and the explorers watched in fear as molten lava began to erupt from the crumbling hole, the earth on the border shattering in a jagged line, east and west. The very earth broke and fell into the widening chasm of lava and melted rock, spreading as far as the ocean and to the Mulgore border.

" _You!_ Outsiders, you must go now!", a massive Tauren warrior called to them, urgently waving them away. "What in the hell is that thing?", Thalarion squawked, recalling the time he saw it in Orgrimmar. "That is _Isha Awak... '_ Deep Doom'. He is what the Night Elves call 'Xaxas', what the Aspects themselves call 'The Black Scourge'.", a female, sandy haired shaman spoke up, waving her feathered medicine stick towards the scar that the dragon had left on the Barrens.

" _Xaxas_? You mean to tell me that that was...", Thalarion's words fell short, as he looked behind him to the rest of his group. "Deathwing, formerly Neltharion the Earth Warder...", Sapphira whispered, eye fixed on the boiling lava bubbling out of the ground.

"We need to return to Orgrimmar, find out what's going on. Hopefully, the Horde Army has started waging war against the Black Aspect and found out what he's doing.", the pale elf suddenly ordered, goading her crew into formation and leading them into Durotar.

"Won't they kill me if they see me in there?", Rosettia whined, dropping Lillian off of her shoulder as they neared the Dranosh'ar Blockade. "You disappoint me, believing I had not thought of that. Shut your trap and look at me, I'm about to cast an illusion spell over you. To all those present in Orgrimmar, you'll appear as a Goblin.", Sapphira barked, having grown tired of the Worgen's doubts. Rosettia yelped as the spell was cast on her, small twinkling lights encapsulating her, rearranging and manipulating light waves until the towering Worgen appeared as a dwarfish, lime green Goblin. "Now, the lot of you, move it!", the mage continued in a very drill-sergeant like manner.

The band of adventures moved swiftly through Orgrimmar, and underlying fear that Rosettia's rouse would be uncovered. Sapphira neared the notice board, outside of Grommash Hold, filled with listings for able-bodied citizens needed in various parts of the world. "Vashj'ir? I've never heard of that place before...", Jeremiah mumbled, peering awkwardly over Thalarion's shoulder at the masses of parchment. "Deepholm...? TWO elemental planes are in need of aid? AND Mount Hyjal?!",Thalarion exclaimed, "It's like the world is ending, I haven't seen this much destruction since Arthas..."

A nearby Orc shaman suddenly looked up and towards the red headed paladin. "It _is_ coming to an end... Deathwing will destroy all in his wake, unless we stand against him and his wretched Twilight's Hammer.. Have you heard of the Earthen Ring, by chance?", he spoke solemnly, throwing his long, greying braid over his feathered pauldrons. "No, we haven't.", the group replied in unison, interest piqued by the shaman.

"We are an organization of powerful shamans, united beneath Muln Earthfury. We seek to repair the great damage that Deathwing and his ilk have already brought about, and what more they will inevitably cause. You, you seem strong, capable, greatly indispensable. My brothers, they require relief in Vashj'ir, and I myself cannot go to their defense. Would you please go in my place, bring reinforcement to them?", the shaman explained before groveling to the company.

The elves, Forsaken, and concealed Gilnean all looked to each other. "Imagine the field research I could obtain in Vashj'ir, a completely unexplored region...", Sapphira imagined out loud, envisioning the creatures and plant life wistfully. "An unknown area, only to be documented by us. That's quite a lofty goal, I must say.", Jeremiah commented, looking to Thalarion and Sapphira from his sister's side. "We **must** do this, there's simply too much valuable information and insight for us to pass up.", the frost mage realized, uncovered eye alive with excitement and newfound enthusiasm.


	11. Dumped in Water

Sapphira and company soon found themselves on a ship bound for Vashj'ir. As they sailed across the cobalt blue ocean, Thalarion lay with his head in Sapphira's lap as she scrawled in her leather bound book once more. Jeremia had established a constant vigil at the starboard bow, heaving every few minutes with horrid seasickness. Thankfully, he had managed to not get any of his vomit on the deck itself. Lillian sat quietly beneath the central mast, reading and reciting quietly out of a gold prayer tome. Rosettia had fallen asleep lazily beneath the steps leading to the helm, her Goblin disguise wearing off. The Earthen Ring was a neutral party, and thus would not attack the Worgen on sight.

The spacious barge soon seemed to stop smack in the middle of the expansive sea, dropping anchor with a lack of precision. "All of you, off!", the mercenary captain yelled from his place at the wheel, waving violently. "We're in the middle of the bloody ocean, where's Vashj'ir?", Jeremiah rasped before retching over the side of the boat again. The captain and his crew collectively rolled their eyes, much to the confusion of the group of adventurers. "It's below you, idiot.", the leader sneered, rowdily laughing as one of his deck swabbies shoved the Undead overboard. "Do the rest of you need any encouragement?"

Thalarion scowled and picked up Sapphira, walking to the edge with her in his arms. With a loud grunt, the two plunged into the foamy waves. Lillian took Rosettia's hand and was led to the bow, before being picked up and tossed in by the Worgen warrior. Rosettia, with a last glance to the captain, childishly stuck out her tongue before going to fling herself off of the ship. She tripped at the last moment, much to the amusement of the mercenary crew, falling flat on her face and biting her tongue. Trying to retain some dignity, she pried herself up off of the ground and backflipped into the water.

The coterie of misfits sunk slowly to the bottom of the waters, opening their eyes and looking below them, where they saw a Broken and a Tauren waiting for them. As they neared the soft sands and kelp, they saw the Broken blow several bubbles through an enchanted conch shell. They all took deep breaths, letting the salty water fill their lungs and finding that they could now breathe and see clearly beneath the ocean. The sights surrounding them were breathtaking, bright and almost painfully colorful. All of the colors of the rainbow decorated massive coral, anemones, and various multicolored aquatic plant life.

They each landed gently on the silky earth below, stirring up small clouds of sand and small shells. The Broken and the Tauren both bowed deeply to the researchers. "Greetings, I am Erunak Stonespeaker, and this is Earthmender Duarn.", the Broken spoke, motioning to the massive, hazelnut Tauren. "Hail.", Durarn rumbled, voice deep and gravelly. The explorers all bowed in response, before turning to the Tauren and waving their hand slowly in an arch in front of them, the Tauren sign for "Hail".

Erunak turned to Thalarion. "Our brother in Orgrimmar sent you?", he asked, his tired aqua eyes boring into the burly elf.

The paladin nodded in respose, his scarlet Kal'dorei tail dancing playfully in the currents moving through the water. "Good, good... Tell me something, do you enjoy killing naga?", Erunak asked dryly, examining each of the misfits. Jeremiah and Thalarion both nodded enthusiastically , stirring up the water around them. "What a pleasant coincidence then. All of you, go kill about 20 naga each around here, we need to thin their ranks considerably before we do anything drastic.", Duarn ordered, pointing to a nearby thick forest of kelp and seaweed.


End file.
